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Information for DNA Backlog Reduction Program Grantees

DNA Backlog Reduction Program applicants and grantees are welcome to reach out to NIJ with questions.
OJP's Funding Resource Center provides a wealth of information and links to specific guidance are highlighted below.

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Grants Management System

The DNA Backlog Reduction Program is managed through an online system called the Grants Management System (GMS). GMS is where users submit applications, reports, Grant Adjustment Notices (GANs) and closeouts.

Applications

Budgets

Applicants and grantees of the DNA Backlog Reduction Program have specific programmatic requirements to follow when building or modifying their budget. Please consult the appropriate fiscal year solicitation for details regarding allowable and unallowable costs.

The OJP Financial GuideGrantees
must follow the requirements in the
OJP Financial Guide for proper management of award funds.

For questions about policies in the Financial Guide or requirements in the solicitation, please contact your grant manager.

Progress Reports and Performance Measures

Due Dates

What documents should I submit?Progress report metrics (performance measures) should be entered into the Metric section of the GMS Progress Reports module. Supporting documentation for your metrics should be attached as well. The narrative portion of the progress report may either be entered into the GMS module directly or as an attached document, and must contain basic information for assessing the status of the project, such as the status of each goal scheduled to be achieved or completed during that six month period, any implementation problems or issues and corrective action planned, and any technical assistance needed. Final progress reports should document the cumulative project activities and metrics, including a complete description of the grant's achievements against stated objectives and planned project milestones.

Note: NIJ will not be updating the Backlog Program-specific Progress Report template form.
The requirements for information and data you should submit has not changed. If you would like to continue using the previously provided template, you are welcome to update your existing document accordingly (e.g., reporting period dates).

Guidance Document: Use the guidance document on performance measures and progress reports to ensure that the data you collect and report is accurate and uniform. The document provides definitions of each performance metric, guidance on how to calculate and report the data, and general information about progress reports.

Have a question about drawdowns? Contact the Office of the Chief Financial Officer at
ask.ocfo@usdoj.gov or 1-800-458-0786. OCFO is best equipped to assist grantees with questions about GPRS or to revise FFRs.

Grant Adjustment Notices

Grant Adjustment Notices (GANs) are the mechanism by which grantees can change information in GMS about their award. There are several types of GANs, and each one is used for different information changes. These are detailed in section 3.5 "Adjustments to Awards" in the
OJP Financial Guide.

A Note on Removal of Special ConditionsFor awards with removable special conditions, contact the grant manager with documentation when the special condition is ready for removal. GANs to remove special conditions can only be generated by NIJ.

Program Income

If you charge a fee for DNA testing services, even one case per year, you have to report and expend program income as required in the OJP Financial Guide. Please visit the
OJP Financial Guide for further guidance.

Closeouts

Grantees are responsible for initiating closeouts. Closeout packages are due within 90 days of the award end date. Compliance with all special conditions is required. For more in-depth training, see
Closeouts in GMS.

Other Resources

CHOP Transfer Agreement (CA DOJ) (pdf, 3 pages). This agreement memorializes the terms under which the California Department of Justice will transfer a copy of its CHOP Database Application and Hit Tracking and Control (HTAC) Software to DNA Backlog Program Grantees